Friendly Introductions

Posted on Mon Apr 21st, 2025 @ 4:41pm by Lieutenant Faith Hawkins & Lieutenant Alvy Vithu

1,780 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: R&R
Location: Officers' Mess

After boarding Britannic and parting ways with Wintrow, Alvy quickly made her way to her quarters, which she found to be nothing out of the ordinary. Her luggage had already been brought there, so she quickly set to unpacking. She had travelled light, so there was not much in her two bags to begin with - some off-duty clothes, a few sets of spare uniforms. Once she had placed the frame with the photograph of her and her family on her nightstand, she decided she was done for the moment, and headed out to explore the ship.

After about half an hour, the young Lieutenant felt as if she had picked out the most important locations on the ship, and found herself standing outside the doors of the officers' mess. Sure, she was expected to see the Captain, but a quick cup of tea before heading to the ready room surely wouldn't hurt.

As Alvy stepped into the mess hall, she found it crowded. With a shrug, she walked over to the nearest replicator. "Tea, earl grey, hot, with a slice of lemon on the side," she ordered, looking around for a table to sit down at.

Another occupant of the mess hall was Faith. She hadn't been out of sickbay long. But she was restless. Eager to enjoy her freedom again. Now Britannic was docked at Deep Space 9 for some R&R, Faith would be able to properly stretch her legs for the first time in what felt like forever. She fully intended to. It would be small steps to start with.

"Look Mummy. I drew us." said Meredith, holding up a drawing. Faith couldn't believe she would be five later this year. A journey she would get to enjoy again with her younger daughter. The one she held in her arms. "Look."

Those beautiful jet black eyes. The exact same ones as her younger sister. The younger sister Faith had no idea she was carrying until her annual medical examination two months after her arrival on Britannic. At least it was Toareth who broke the news. "That's wonderful sweetheart." replied Faith.

On their table was a pitcher of orange juice. A small selection of snacks. And Meredith's vast drawing apparatus. They'd already had their lunchtime meal. This was just a change of scene.

As Alvy took her tea from the replicator, she noticed what appeared to be a small family, sat at a table not too far away. She shrugged, and walked over. "Hi there," she began, in her signature Scottish accent. "Lieutenant Alvy Vithu, I just joined the crew. Mind if I join you?"

An unknown voice caught Faith's attention away from watching Meredith begin her next artistic creation. "Ah. You must be the new tactical officer." she thought, looking at Alvy. A pause. The two seats opposite were vacant. And it was busy. Faith considered it would be rather unreasonable to decline. "Be our guest."

Alvy smiled. "Thank you, that's very kind." She sat, and took a sip from her tea. "Not bad, for a replicator," she observed, before looking at the other officer again. "Your accent is familiar. Merseyside somewhere? Captain of my previous ship was from Liverpool."

"Southport." replied Faith, shortly. She then looked down at the sleeping bundle in her arms. Thankfully, sleepless nights had not been as abundant with her second daughter. If only her father had lived to meet her, seen the joy she had brought to her, Meredith. "I'm going to guess Scotland for you." she added, before taking a sip of her orange juice.

As her mother spoke to the mysterious woman with an accent she'd never heard before, Meredith helped herself to a handful of raisins. They were what was left over from the fruit cake she, Faith baked this morning.

Alvy nodded. "Edinburgh. Well, I was born in space, but grew up in Edinburgh, anyway. Beautiful townhouse in the New Town." She glanced at the little girl. "You know, I'm glad the war is over. Couldn't have imagined having kids on Stauffenberg, not when we were constantly going into battle. It's good that things have gone back to normal again."

The mention of Stauffenberg sent a shiver down Faith's spine. "New normal, maybe." Faith said, opting for some of their sliced banana. She was pleased Meredith enjoyed eating fruit, something she wouldn't eat until she was several years older than her eldest daughter was now. Faith's parents cursed her fussy eating. Keira brought it up often. "One escape pod picked up. I bet you count your lucky stars every day it was the one you boarded."

Images flashed before Alvy's mind. The Captain insisting to stay on the bridge, while yelling at everyone else to go to an escape pod. Explosions, sparks, debris everywhere. Slipping into the pod just as the airlock sealed. The Chief Science Officer banging on the door of the escape pod as it jettisoned. She shuddered. "Definitely not a day I like to think back on. It was rough. To say the least. So many people lost." She shook her head. "I hope we never see anything like the Dominion War again. Ever."

That was something Faith, Alvy could agree on. The collosal damage inflicted. All in the name of imperial expansion. Ships could be replaced. The people who died manning them couldn't. Those who made it to the other side would carry it with them for the rest of their lives. However, Faith felt the subject was steering too close to home. And wasn't one to be discussed around Meredith for longer than a fleeting mention. Not yet, anyway. "When did you arrive?" asked Faith.

Alvy took a sip from her tea and shrugged. "On board? Maybe two hours ago? Like I said, I only just transferred. What's your role on board, if I may ask?"

As she finished eating another slice of banana, she responded. "Engineer." Which was true. Faith was an engineer. "Propulsion specialist." She hadn't been one of those for nearly four years. Alvy would no doubt find out Faith's actual position at the first senior staff briefing. Faith wasn't normally this secretive. But disclosing her role would disclose her identity. Leading to Alvy discovering Faith being on Arundel and being at that battle. No. She wasn't talking about that. Not with someone she didn't know.

Faith was also surprised. Meredith hadn't corrected her mother disclosing she was a propulsion specialist. Not the Chief Engineer. Usually she would tell anyone who listened "Mummy is the Chief Engineer." Not this time. Thankfully. Maybe Meredith's extra-sensory empathy detected her mother's desire for reticence.

"Ah, I see," Alvy replied with a nod. "I'm in tactical and security myself. Chief tactical and security officer, actually." She chuckled. "Don't worry, I am not one to run off and read through the entire service history of every single crewmember I meet. Nobody has time for that. I prefer to make my own impressions of people, not what other people might think I should think of them."

She paused for a moment, taking another sip of her tea. "I did read through the ship's crew manifest, but that was just to get a headstart on learning some names. I met the XO briefly when I boarded, and will head up to introduce myself to the Captain in a little while." With a chuckle, she looked at the art supplies on the table. "So, who's the artist?"

The response about not reading service records made Faith feel a little uneasy. Her extreme distrust of anyone new had clearly not left her. And it showed no signs of doing so either. As Meredith did not respond to Alvy's question, Faith gave an answer on her behalf. "My eldest daughter." she replied. She then lifted her youngest daughter slightly. Enough to make her more visible. Not enough to wake her. "...and this is my youngest." she concluded.

Alvy smiled. "Hello there, girls. Nice to meet you all." She lifted her teacup, but to her disappointment found it empty. She shrugged, and put it down again. "Okay, I said I make my own impressions of people, but I do want to ask. Anything I should be particularly prepared for when I meet Captain Fredricks?"

"Lieutenant Hawkins hasn't said anything negative." replied Faith. Referring to herself in the third person seemed weird. Very weird. Although what she said was true. Faith had nothing but positive things to say about Lukas. "...so I'd suggest you have nothing to worry about." a pause. A glance out of the window. A Miranda class almost opposite. Could it be? Surely not.

Who? Oh, Lieutenant Faith Hawkins, the Chief Engineer,, Alvy reminded herself, and nodded. "I hope to make a good impression. What about the Chief Engineer, now that you mention her? What's she like?"

Looking back to Meredith's drawing, Faith shrugged. "You either like her or you don't. I don't think she cares." a pause. "I'm sure you'll bump into her sooner or later." another pause. Another sip of juice. Faith had developed a real hankering for pure orange juice since her stay in sickbay. "That being said. My opinion of her may not reflect yours."

"I see," Alvy replied with a smirk. What a way to answer my question by not answering it at all., she thought to herself in amusement. If she wasn't obviously human, one might think she's Romulan. "I was just curious of your impression is all. Like I said, I like to make my own opinions of people, but I do take others' input into account."

"Well." replied Faith, nonchalantly. "if you really want to know," she said, pausing, then deciding to proceed with what she planned to say. "I'd suggest you don't push her buttons too much. She's also very touchy about people entering what she considers to be her domain." she concluded. As she finished, Faith noticed the beautiful, jet black eyes of her youngest daughter staring up at her. Galran's eyes.

Alvy smiled and nodded. "Now that is an answer I can work with." She looked at her empty mug, and shrugged. "I guess I better go see the Captain now, but it has been a pleasure meeting you."

Faith nodded in response. "Likewise." she replied. "I'm sure our paths will cross again sooner rather than later." Her less than enthusiastic tone gave away her slight ambivalence. The same unenthusiastic ambivalence Faith showed towards a lot of people upon meeting them for the first time. Often the second, too. Maybe one day, that would change.

 

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